SeaWorld Adventure Park

SeaWorld Adventure Park San Diego Reviews

I have mixed feelings about sea world. The park is pretty nice and clean. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The shows are a little cheesy, they could do so much more with these intelligent mammals other than having them jumping just to get a hand full of fish. There must be other ways to educate/expose the general public with these animals other than having a 20 minute silly story line (Disney style). Is it worth going ? I would say just once to see yes but I would definitely not go back. Way overpriced for what you get. So much more they could do with the facilities and money that they have spent. My five year old loved it by the way.

We got the tram and then bus to Seaworld. It was fairly simple to get there from central San Diego. And the bus takes us right up to the entrance. They played the American national anthem before opening the gates, which was a bit strange!

We went to see the sea lions first and there was a woman doing a talk so it was educational too. They were such gorgeous animals! You could also buy fish to feed to them, which we did!

The highlight of our day was the dolphin experience (you have to pay extra for this and there are other experiences available with penguins and belugas). The staff were great and you get taken to a changing room to put on your wetsuit and boots. We then walked to the dolphin pool and met the trainer. We got into the water and met two of the parks dolphins! The trainer showed us a variety of tricks and we got to do them with the dolphins. We also got pulled along in the water by them, and fed them lots of fish. Afterwards we had plenty of time to shower, change and wash our hair. Then the photographer went through our photos with us and we got to pick which ones we liked to be printed out (another additional cost!).

The rest of the day we saw the dolphin show and the killer whale show. They were both fantastic and really fun to watch. Especially watching other people get soaked by the splashes, which the trainers really encouraged!! We also saw polar bears, belugas, a walrus, penguins, turtles and fish.

I love the Sea World. The whale, dolphin, animal and car shows. The special driving skills in the movies such as fast & furious. You can see the real thing and how they are filmed in the Sea World.

The most exciting thing about Sea World is the Rides. All the water rides like roller coast on the water. You get so wet, but they are so exciting. :)

And the sun is very beautiful. I have a korean friend who has a convertible BMW. The high way from LA to SD is near by the sea. With the top down, you can see the view of sea and smell the sea through the wind. But remember to bring your sun block lotion. Cuz my friend he got so burnt, especially of his new nose. He got a nose job btw.

SeaWorld is one of my favorite places to go in San Diego. I go here often since I live locally and try to take advantage when they offer season passes for the price of a one-day ticket (approx. $69 USD). I have never been disappointed with any of my visits to SeaWorld.

One of my favorite exhibits at SeaWorld is the Penguin Encounter. They have so many Emperor penguins to look at (through the glass). I wish I could go inside and hug them! :)

The Shark Encounter is an amazing exhibit as well. It is a very serene experience in an underwater tunnel being so close to the sharks, yet completely safe.

The California Tide Pools are really fun & interactive since you can feel starfish and other tide pool creatures.

I like the rides 'Shipwreck Rapids' and 'Journey to Atlantis'. These rides are geared more towards older children & adults. You will get really wet on Shipwreck Rapids so I highly recommend bringing a towel or a waterproof jacket/poncho to wear when riding these rides. There are also other rides for smaller children that I have not been on.

I highly recommend any of the shows at SeaWorld. My favorite show is called 'Pets Rule'. Although there isn't anything ocean related in the 'Pets Rule' Show it is a high energy show with dogs, cats, pot belly pigs, and more. I did notice at this particular show there was not a lot of shade anywhere, so make sure you bring a hat and/or wear a lot of sunscreen!

You can also pay extra for the experience called 'Dine with Shamu'. I believe this dining experience is closed as of now (April 2010) since a Shamu in Florida killed a trainer a few months ago. Hopefully SeaWorld will reopen "Dine with Shamu" because it was very peaceful eating breakfast with Orca whales swimming along side of your table.

If you can, try to book your tickets for SeaWorld online before you go. If you buy tickets online they have a lot of specials & free offers that you may not receive if you buy tickets when you get there.

I highly recommend SeaWorld to anyone visiting the San Diego area. It may be a bit pricey, but in my opinion well worth it, especially if you are an animal lover like myself.

Sea World is a great place and ever evolving. I used to go with nieces and nephews all the time when they were younger. Also liked the beer garden (don't know if they still have that??)
Last time I went seemed like lots have changed.
What a wonderful way to spend a day or two.
For the travelers with no means to get there you can take bus #9 which takes you to the park.

San Diego is such a great place to visit in general so why not go visit SeaWorld? I think I have been there about 10,000 times (not literally but feels like it). I hadn't been there a a few years and I thought that since a friend on mine who is a freak about animals was going to San Diego with me it would be a good opportunity to show her the wonderful world of sea life.

So to begin, here is the address for Sea World:

500 Sea World Dr., San Diego, CA 92109. Basically head towards Mission Beach on the 8-West and you will be there easily. Expecting to pay $12 for parking for cars. If you are lazy or don't want to walk you can pay an extra $5 to park closer. The park admission is $65 for a single day admission. If you are planning on touring Southern Cali you can get a CityPass for around $115 and gets you into: Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld San Diego, and the San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. Quite a good deal really!

Back to Sea World. So while we were waiting to pick up our tickets where was a loud music concert thing going on. I think it was hispanic day, month, year at Sea World or something. Not really what I had expected with how loud the music is and the fact that 90% of the people there couldn't understand a word of what they were signing about.

Sea World has lots of different sea animals to help visitors expand their minds and experience without getting wet, unless you choose to. The ever so famous Shamu was there with his buddies. Even a baby 4 year old killer whale was performing. Others shows such as dolphin discovery and the sea lions are classic favorites. There are a lot of exhibits to offer too: penguins, polar bears, flamingos, coral reefs, manatees, tide pools where you can touch starfish, sea turtles, beluga whales, dolphins you can feed, sea lions, and don't forget sharks! Sea World also have the rides Shipwreck Rapids and Journey to Atlantis. Both and good choices to cool off from! Don't forget to check out the Clydesdale's too, even though they are part of the sea life they are not there to represent Budweiser, which you now have to pay to get samples of.

Thank you for sharing this article. I live in San Diego and did not know about that southern California pass deal. Great share and well put!!!
It has been some years since I've been can't believe how expensive it has gotten so that pass is def a deal.
I am a huge fan of the Polar Bear and use to frequent Sea World and the Zoo.

Awhile back I was able to travel with some family and check out San Diego. I was excited about the opportunity to travel outside of Az... i mean why not? The sun, beaches, attractive girls... in my head i was already there!

Like good fashion we left through phoenix, heading toward tucson... we figured we would be heading through yuma. This might sound very shocking, but i honestly never knew how close mexico really was to Az (stupid i know!!).

So the journey was on... a/c doing its best to cool me down in another 100 degree day... there was absolutely nothing to do or see from phx to yuma. Once we got to Yuma we stopped for a quick bite... tried the new chicken sandwhich (which i strongly compare to the delicious chicken sandwhich of CHICK-FIL-A). I never knew how fast this place grew, i mean last i saw it was years ago and there was pretty much just a couple of buildings but that was about it!

So it took us about a good 6 hours to make it there... i honestly forgot how long 6 hours in a car felt like! but we checked into the hotel, which was located in downtown san diego, a few miles from the Gaslamp area. Arrived late at night so it was straight to bed. I know using the employee rate was awesome due to the price, but man, did they screw us. I mean they put us in the back right next to the trolley tracks!?! it felt like the trolley was going all night, constantly hearing the noises!

Anywho, skipping toward to the good stuff... on our way to SeaWorld... geez, i was more giddy than the other kids were. I mean this was the first time since... since...umm.. maybe 10-12 years ago!! we came to the enterence booth and paid the toll.. not happily since i notice that a few rides i was looking forward to was out of order... the spinning tower thing-a-ma-gig, and also the Atlantis ride... = ( but it didn't wear my spirits down too much, i mean this is where Shamu lives...!!! First thing we did was hit up Shamu.. good timing since a show was about to start in about 15 minutes and everyone was gathering like a herd of cows... and these people are MEAN! pushing squeezing into lil spaces... and here i am a 6'4'' big guy getting pushed around by 10 year olds... so we arrived and noticed the whole lower bowl was taken up! and i knew what was coming, the innocent couldn't read SPLASH ZONE... go figure! after seeing these beautiful creatures do there thing and totally soak the lower seating i couldn't help but laugh... good signs pointed to this day being GREAT! and so it was... Afterward, i HAD to get some souvinoir items, cups with Shamu's heads head, a couple shirts and of cours... SHOT GLASSES (my new thing to collect). after countless hours of walking and watching show after show, i was still giddy! poor kids had to drag me out there! we experienced it all, but yet i still left wanting MORE!! so whoever is game... let me know...!!

Great adventures for all ages from all across the world. You will first be greated by your friendly park cashier for that california parking fee, then the park cashiers for tickets...I recommend getting your tickets prior to going. Long lines in the summer but military discount is good to know for those military members out there. There was much to do and lots for children as well. Shamu and family always bring the excitement...so that was the highlight for me...BUT I must say rides wise===> get on "Journey to Atlantis"!!! You won't think twice about riding again & again. I did. Also the Sky Tower is another slow and enjoyable ride that has the best San Diego scenery for anyone. Before leaving make sure you expierence the petting of the dolphins and starfish and many more. Food is always available but not cheap, so hope you chow down prior but I am sure you won't escape before chowing there too ;) E N J O Y.

A definite attraction not to be missed! Especially for a diver, what's not to like about seeing things underwater? At least for one that's been land-locked and hasn't seen much of the animals during a dive. A must see for anyone is definitely the Shark Encounters on the far side of the park from the entrance. The SkyTower is a definite place to utilize, but keep in mind it is NOT included in the price of the park ticket if you get the 3-for-1 ticket (allows you entrance to the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and Wild Animal Park). Probably the best souvenir store is the one to the left of the entrance across from the photo store where you can buy copies of your picture that they take of you when you enter.

We had a really good day at seaworld san diego, the rides journey to atlantis and the river rapids go on them before you go home and not first you get soaked and walk around for a hour or two like that. We ate in the calypso bay smokehouse and had some really nice food. bbq chicken bbq ribs coleslaw and corn on the cob. Try to get there as early as possible you wont do everything in a day as we didnt and get there early to buy the fish to give to the dolphins we had to queue up for half an hour out of season.